Kristen Stewart: Will She Be Asked Back for a Snow White Sequel?

08/15/2012 at 11:50 AM EDT

A Snow White and the Huntsman sequel may hit the silver screen without, well, its Snow White.

On Tuesday, the Hollywood Reporter ran an article saying that Kristen Stewart will not be invited back to star in a planned sequel to last summer's Snow White and the Huntsman. Instead, the story said, the film would focus on Chris Hemsworth's Huntsman character, and it would begin shooting this summer once the actor's schedule is free.

Soon after, though, the Los Angeles Times reported that Stewart's future in the planned Snow White sequel was not yet determined and that she could still play a role in the Hemsworth-focused film.

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Meanwhile, PEOPLE has learned that any talk of Snow White sequels and casting is premature and that nobody – cast nor creative team – has officially signed on. And a Deadline report from Tuesday says the film is moving "on a slower track" as the studio figures out which direction to go.

And on Wednesday, the studio weighed in on the casting buzz. "We are extremely proud of Snow White and the Huntsman," Universal co-chairman Donna Langley said in a statement, "and we're currently exploring all options to continue the franchise. Any reports that Kristen Stewart has been dropped are false."

The Hollywood Reporter story also says that Universal is looking for a new writer to work on the film.

Also unclear in the various media reports: whether Snow White's director Rupert Sanders will return to direct the movie, though one source told the Hollywood Reporter that he will.

Last month Stewart apologized after it came to light that she cheated on boyfriend Robert Pattinson with Sanders, but no connection between their fling and the film's casting has been made in any report.